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Alexander Patch
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===Pacific Theater=== [[File:US Generals Harmon, Patch and Twining in the Southwest Pacific 1943.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. Army ground and air generals confer with their chief. From left to right: Major General Alexander Patch, Lieutenant General [[Millard Harmon]], and Major General [[Nathan F. Twining]], conferring over a map whilst serving in the South Pacific, February 1943]] Patch was promoted to [[Major general (United States)|major general]] in November 1941 and was assigned to command [[Task Force 6814]], a hastily assembled force of divisional size, composed of two [[Army National Guard]] infantry regiments. The following month the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] [[attack on Pearl Harbor|attacked Pearl Harbor]], followed shortly after by the [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[German declaration of war against the United States|declaration of war on the United States]], officially bringing the United States into [[World War II]]. He was sent to the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific Theater of Operations]] in [[Naval Base Noumea|Noumea]] to organize the reinforcement and defense of [[New Caledonia]], arriving there in March 1942. En route he was struck with [[pneumonia]], recovering sufficiently to take command of a loose collection of units and form them into the [[23rd Infantry Division (United States)|Americal Division]] (a contraction of "American, New Caledonian Division").{{sfn|English|2009|p=167}} The Americal Division first saw action in the [[Guadalcanal campaign]] in December [[1942]], when it relieved the valiant but tired and [[malaria]]-ridden [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]] there. The Americal Division and the 1st Marine Division were both relieved by the [[25th Infantry Division (United States)|25th Infantry]] and [[2nd Marine Division (United States)|2nd Marine Division]]s, respectively and, in early January [[1943]], Patch moved up to command of the [[XIV Corps (United States)|XIV Corps]], and was given charge of the entire offensive on [[Guadalcanal]]. Patch personally led troops under his command on a dangerous offensive in the [[Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse]] to capture several fortified hills and ridges from the [[Imperial Japanese Army|Japanese forces]]. Under Patch's leadership, by February 1943 the Japanese were driven from Guadalcanal.{{sfn|English|2009|p=167β168}}
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